Top Things to Do in Oslo Norway

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There is a reason why Oslo is one of the most visited places in Norway. It is a city full of history, wonderful sites and activities that showcase Norwegian culture. If you are wondering what to do while there, we have a great list of what we think are the top things to do in Oslo, Norway!

Top Things to Do in Oslo, Norway

VisitOSLO/Gunnar Strøm

Oslo City Hall

Oslo’s City Hall may not seem like an attraction you’d want to see. The building looks quite plain on the outside, but on the inside you will find great Norwegian art.

The main hall is adorned with frescoes by two famous Norwegian artists, Henrik Sørensen and Alf Rolfsen. One fresco features the pillars of Norwegian identity (fishing, forestry, and industry) along with explorer Fridtjof Nansen and playwright Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson.

W. Bulach [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]On the second floor, you will find the Munch room where you will find his painting Life.

The Ceremonial Gallery is decorated with tapestries. You will find scenes from Norwegian history along with paintings of King Harald V, Olav V, and Haakon VII.

Make sure that you also take time to walk around City Hall to admire the sculptures that adorn the outside of the building and square surrounding the building.

Hours are 9am-6pm most days

Entrance to the City Hall is FREE

Nobel Peace Center

Learn about Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Peace prize. Exhibits change throughout the year and are meant to give engage guests to thoughtfully explore topics related to war, peace and conflict resolution.

If you are traveling with children in Oslo, they can explore the Nobel Peace Center with “Fred & Toca Loca” who teach children that speaking out matters.

This is fully interactive and has children think about moral dilemmas in a child-friendly way.

The Royal Palace

The Royal Palace is one of Norway’s most important buildings that sits at the end of Karl Johan.

Built in 1825, the Palace became the official residence of King Oscar I in 1849.

The Royal Palace is open to the public only during the summer, while the Palace park is open year round. You can take a guided tour of the Royal Palace when it is open. The tour is available in Norwegian and in English and should be booked in advance.

Vigeland Sculpture Park

Frogner Park is the biggest park in central Oslo and where you will find the Vigeland Sculptures.

The sculpture park is Gustav Vigeland’s life work, showcasing over 200 of his sculptures. The sculptures you find here are statement pieces that while different are very much in the same style. Nearly all of them feature nude people.

While fanciful and a bit obscure, they each tells a story. It’s fun to decide what that story may be!

The park is FREE and because of this is usually very busy.

Viking Ship Museum

Norway has a fascinating history when it comes to the Vikings and you can find evidence of their lives at the Oslo Viking Ship Museum. This one of our favorite things to do in Oslo.

There you will get to see ships that were pulled out from beneath the Fjords. It is remarkable at how intact they remain after such a long time. The details are pretty amazing to see up close.

These elaborately designed vessels were used for traditional Viking burials and you will get to see the ships along with other pretty amazing artifacts.

New to the Viking Museum in Oslo is The Vikings Alive interactive film. You will feel like you are part of the action as the walls around you make you feel like you are part of the Viking Age. You will witness how a Viking ship is built, then set sail along the Norwegian fjords, and see how the ship becomes a grave ship for a king.

Hours:

1 October to 30 April: 10am to 4pm 1 May to 30 September: 9am to 6pm Closed: January 1, February 5 & 12

Tickets:

A ticket gives you admission to both the Viking Ship Museum and The Historical Museum (not on our list of things to do) Tickets are available from the ticket office at the museum entrance. They do not sell tickets online. They accept Mastercard, Visa, Maestro, Union Pay, JCB, Oslo Pass, ICOM cards and V Pay credit cards.

Kon-Tiki Museum

in 1947 Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean on the simply raft made of balsa wood. His goal was to prove the origin on the origin on Polynesian people.

This was the first journey of its kind and it was the basis for a documentary in 1951. The raft, known at Kon-Tiki, can be seen at the Kon-Tiki Museum along with other artifacts from later journeys to Easter Island, Fatu-Hiva, Tùcume, Galapagos.

Visit Ibsen and Munch’s graves at Vår Frelsers gravlund

Why not many people may consider a graveyard a top place to visit while on holiday, this graveyard is quite special because you will find such notable Norwegians like Henrich Ibsen and Edvard Munch are buried.

Getting Around Oslo with the Oslo Pass

Oslo is a city that is easy to navigate, especially if you have the Oslo Pass.

Not only does the Oslo pass give you free entry to more than 30 museums and attractions, it also gives you free travel on all public transport.

Ruter is the name of the public transport system in Oslo and the surrounding county, Akershus. You can take all public transport within zone 1 (Oslo) and zone 2 for free with the Oslo Pass.

You will also be able to use the ferry to Bygdøy for free with the Oslo Pass.

You will find that many of the top things to do in Oslo have free admission with the Oslo Pass, which make it a no-brainer!

SO YES, YOU SHOULD GET THE OSLO PASS!

Have you had the chance to visit Oslo, Norway? What were you favorite things to do?

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Hi, I am Kristi West, owner and content curator for Day Trip Tips. My passion for travel has taken me on adventures around the globe and my background in education lead me to develop a site that not only showcases amazing destinations, but also gives tips on how to fully experience everything the place has to offer in a limited amount of time!